BURGE, Clifford Charles
| Service Number: | 36 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 February 1915, Melbourne, Vic. |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 24th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Rushworth, Victoria, Australia, 27 April 1892 |
| Home Town: | Elsternwick, Glen Eira, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Heathcote Primary School and Bendigo High School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Public servant, State Immigration Dept |
| Died: | Killed In Action, France, 14 August 1918, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery Plot X, Row F, Grave No. 7 |
| Memorials: | Rushworth St. Paul's Church of England Great European War Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Feb 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 36, Army Pay Corps (AIF), Melbourne, Vic. | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Feb 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Sergeant, 36, Army Pay Corps (AIF), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
| 1 May 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Staff Sergeant, Army Pay Corps (AIF), Egypt | |
| 6 Aug 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant, Australian Army Service Corps, 1st Anzac Mounted Division, France | |
| 23 Nov 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 24th Infantry Battalion, France | |
| 5 Feb 1918: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 24th Infantry Battalion, France | |
| 19 May 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 24th Infantry Battalion, Dernancourt/Ancre, Ville sur Ancre | |
| 1 Jun 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 24th Infantry Battalion, German Spring Offensive 1918, Gassed. Evacuated to CCS. Rejoined unit 26 June 1918. | |
| 4 Jul 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 24th Infantry Battalion, Le Hamel - Blueprint for Victory | |
| 8 Aug 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 24th Infantry Battalion, The Battle of Amiens | |
| 14 Aug 1918: | Involvement Lieutenant, 24th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 24 Battalion awm_rank: Lieutenant awm_died_date: 1918-08-14 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Wight
A public servant prior to enlisting, Staff Sergeant 36 (later Lieutenant) Clifford Charles Burge, Army Pay Corps (later 24th Battalion), of Elsternwick, Victoria embarked from Melbourne aboard HMAT Runic (A54) on 25 February 1915.
On 14 August 1918, he was killed in action, by a shell in The Quarry, France, aged 26, while moving forward to the new front line with C Company.
The Unit Diary records that Lieut Burge "was one of the most promising and popular officers with the Battalion & a fine sportsman, a good soldier and comrade".
He is buried in the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, France.
Prior to enlisting, Clifford Burge played 5 games with the Melbourne FC in the VFL in 1914.
Biography contributed by Andreena Hockley
On the 13th of August, 1918, Lieutenant C. C. Burge was officially reported killed in action in France after three years and nine months' active service. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Burge, 15 Thomson-street, Gardenvale.
He was formerly a junior teacher at Caulfeld. After obtaining his Merit Certificate at Murray-road School, near Heathcote, he went to the Bendigo High School, transferring later to the Melbourne High School. During this time, he passed an examination for the State Civil Service, and, while awaiting his appointment, he accepted a position on the staff of the Caulfeld School. In 1910, he was appointed clerk in the Lands Department, where he remained until he enlisted in the A. A. Pay Corps in 1915, and was sent to Egypt, where he gained the rank of Warrant Officer.
He made several visits to Gallipoli with money. In 1916, after many attempts, he gained a transfer to the 13th Regiment of Light Horse in France, reverting to the ranks, but later becoming Q.M.S.
On one occasion, when selected as a "pointer" to draw fire while the infantry took up position, he had his horse shot under him. Shortly afterwards, he attended an infantry school, from which he and two others were selected out of 500 for a course of instruction at Cambridge. At the final examination, he came third on the list.
He received his commission in C Company, 24th Battalion of Infantry. After remaining some time in the trenches, he was gassed, whereupon he was sent to a casualty clearing station. He chose to return to the Battalion, rather than be sent to England, and was soon afterwards killed in action.
Source: The Education Department's Record of War Service, Victoria, 1914-1919.
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